Minitrue: Naked Pigs in the Smog

The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online. Chinese journalists and bloggers often refer to these as “Directives from the Ministry of Truth.”

State Council Information Office: (1) CCTV Finance’s posts on smog may not be reposted to the Weibo accounts of media organizations and media personnel. (2) It is forbidden to hype the contents of the Beijing News article “Beijingers Don Breathing Masks in Smog for ‘Naked Pig Run.'” (February 23, 2014)

央视财经 [CCTV Finance]: “Beijing Municipal Government, Don’t Hide Behind the Thick Smog!” Several days of silence have indicated a problem more serious than smoggy weather: the people have grown numb and society no longer pays attention to such a familiar sight. CCTV Finance is issuing a wakeup call: the government can’t act blind, it must bear the burden of responsibility, protect its territory, and not act ignorant! So, we loudly ask one question: is there anyone here who still cares about the smog?

央视财经 [CCTV Finance]: “Does Anyone Still Care About Beijing’s Smog?” Beijing, Beijing, the pollution index is off the charts. PM2.5 concentration has surpassed 541 micrograms/square meter throughout the city. Today we continuously waited for the municipal government to launch into heavy pollution emergency response. But, as evening fell, automobile limitations still hadn’t started, factories still hadn’t given news of halting production, and buses were still darting back and forth. How severe the must the pollution get before the emergency response goes into effect? We don’t understand.